![]() “Through the ages,” she writes, “the consecrated dress code has varied little from the plain, wide-sleeved tunic, belt, scapular (an apron that hangs from front and back), cloak and simple footwear, the only difference being in the style of headgear (for women).” Since the early Church, men and women who want to give their lives to God have donned modest, austere clothing to reflect their spiritual commitment, notes author Elizabeth Kuhns in her book, “The Habit: The History of Clothing of Catholic Nuns.” Religious habits are among the most recognized sacred symbols as for centuries they’ve proclaimed that the wearer is consecrated to God. The theme of the year is “Wake Up the World.” While each order is accompanied by a few lines of explanatory text, the book was designed so that readers could grasp the differences simply by looking at the illustrations.This is an installment of an occasional series on various aspects of consecrated life during the Year of Consecrated Life, which will continue through Feb. Neurath is known for developing Isotype (International System of TYpographic Picture Education), a method of conveying complex social and historical information in pictorial form. GraphicDesign&'s approach draws heavily on the work of Otto Neurath, a curator and designer credited as the forefather of pictograms. "We had to make sure we weren't editing it down too much," Roberts says. Presenting that information meant distilling complex social and historical subjects into simple visual patterns. The book itself, like the habits it analyzes, is a form of information design. This is to distinguish between sisterhoods that are active in their communities from ones that live cloistered lives, respectively. Even the nuns' orientation on the page is significant some face towards the reader, while others face away. These are the kinds of minutiae encoded in the book's pages, which the authors color code to differentiate between the various orders. ![]() This section provides the reader with a visual framework with which to understand Todd's minimalist illustrations, which rely on simple cues to distinguish between religious families. ![]() It's a collection from which each religious order draws some, but not all, of its sartorial elements. These include things like veils, rosaries, tunics, medals, coifs (the cap worn under the veil), and sandals. The book begins by cataloguing the various components that typically comprise a nun's habit. The result is a fascinating work of reference on a subject to which you've almost certainly never paid much mind. For their latest book, Looking Good: A Visual Guide to the Nun’s Habit, Roberts and cofounder Rebecca Wright worked with illustrator Ryan Todd and theologian Veronica Bennett to dissect the dress of nuns from some 40 Catholic orders. “It’s really a kit of parts,” says Lucienne Roberts, cofounder of GraphicDesign&, a British publishing house devoted to design’s more esoteric subjects. In the case of nuns’ habits, that system relies on a standardized combination of symbolic elements. That’s an impressive feat for any visual system. That’s because nuns abide by a sartorial system that is at once endlessly adaptable and instantly recognizable. ![]() And yet, each ensemble’s meaning is immediately clear. But the outfit you’re picturing in your head might look very different from the one worn by the sisters at your local convent. The uniform, known as a habit, is a dead giveaway. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |